The present disclosure relates generally to battery electric vehicles (EVs), and to charging control systems for controlling charging of the battery at a charging station. Because electric vehicles (EVs) have only recently been introduced in mainstream market channels, electric vehicle charging infrastructure is limited. Direct current (DC) Fast Chargers are being developed to charge the EVs more quickly; however, due to the cost of such charging stations, their availability is limited. Typically, the DC Fast Chargers are only able to charge a single vehicle at a time. Additionally, due to the fast charging capability, such charging stations are popular. Congestion at such charging stations is a problem, particularly at peak times.
Moreover, because the charging infrastructure is a new and developing market, billing models for the charging stations have not been fully developed. In an effort to encourage a cleaner environment, some markets offer the charging for free. Other service providers have different billing models, such as a flat rate, a rate based on a quantity of electricity supplied, a rate based on a time the charger is connected to the EV, or some combination of the billing models. Each billing model has inefficiencies that lead to sub-optimal use of the charging infrastructure. For example, at the free charging stations, users are encouraged to over-use the charging station for a longer charge and more electricity than is needed, such as to arrive at the users next or final destination. Over-use leads to congestion at the charging station. Similarly, the flat fee billing model discourages unnecessary use, because the fee is charged irrespective of the amount of electricity used, but encourages over-use because the user wants to receive the most electricity per session. This over-use leads to congestion at the charging station. The charging per quantity of electricity encourages charging based on need, but as the charge rate becomes slow, such as when the battery becomes more charged, the user blocks access to the fast charging capabilities for other users. The charging based on time connected, encourages charging based on need and disconnecting when the charge rate slows; however charging to less than full capacity requires the EV to make more frequent stops at the charging station, which can lead to congestion. A need therefore exists for improved charging control systems that reduce the charging time of EVs at charging stations to reduce congestion at charging stations.